Reporter: You look great.Donald Trump: Everybody have it?Narrator: Things used to be a lot different for Donald Trump.

Reporter: Mr. Trump, who’s your lovely date tonight? This is Melissa.

Woman: Hi.Narrator: In the 1980s, Donald Trump was a star.

Man: His name sells. And when you think business, you think Trump.Man: My son, he’s 22 years old, and Mr. Trump is his hero.Man: We’re from Oregon, and Donald Trump is popular out there.Woman: He’s my idol. I really respect him, and I think he’s amazing. Everything he does seems to turn into gold.Narrator: By 1988, Trump was a major name in real estate. The New York Times called him one of the richest men in the world, with an estimated net worth of $3 billion. And he bought the luxurious Plaza Hotel for $390 million. For Donald Trump, the next logical step was buying an airline.

TV Commercial: Yo, Joe!

Henry Harteveldt: The Trump Organization was a holding company with various assets. Those assets included hotels, apartment buildings, and other real estate assets.Narrator: That’s Henry Harteveldt. Donald Trump hired him as the marketing director for Trump Shuttle.Harteveldt: Mr. Trump thought that having an airline would complement his other travel-related holdings, and that’s why he was interested in it.

TV Commercial: You can fly clear across the USA.Narrator: In the 1980s, air travel was a completely different ball game, especially if you were flying for business.

TV Commercial: The Eastern Air Shuttle, a guaranteed seat without a reservation.Narrator: Shuttle services from airlines like Pan Am and Eastern offered flights between New York, Boston, and Washington that took off every hour. In 1988, a workers’ strike at Eastern drove the airline to a halt.

Harteveldt: There was an open auction for the shuttle. Several different airlines submitted bids. At the end, it became the Trump Organization and America West, and the Trump Organization prevailed.Narrator: Trump secured $365 million from a consortium of banks to make a bid for the Eastern Shuttle. After a meeting with airline owner Frank Lorenzo at Trump’s Plaza Hotel, the deal was done, and Trump Shuttle was born.

Trump: How you doing? Have a good flight.Narrator: Trump Shuttle’s fleet consisted of 21 Boeing 727s. Trump spent $1 million to refurbish each plane.

Trump: We were the first plane out this morning. We were the most successful flight this morning. We had more people than anybody else, and I think we had better service than anybody else.Narrator: Trump Shuttle offered quick flights between three east coast destinations: Logan Airport in Boston, LaGuardia in New York, and Reagan in D.C.

David Manley: The first week or so was really disorganized because, you know, it was a brand new airline. And the pilots just got it all figured out. It was 64 flights a day between three cities, and, you know, it ran like clockwork.Narrator: Trump’s purchase of the Eastern Shuttle created over 1,000 new jobs, many of which were filled by Eastern employees out of work due to the strike. Employees like Rosemary Durant, a Boston-based flight attendant who got a job with Trump Shuttle.

Rosemary Durant: I was a flight attendant with Trump Shuttle from the beginning to the end. I began my career with Eastern Airlines. Towards the end of Eastern Airlines we had the opportunity to bid off to work for the Trump Shuttle. It was strictly a lottery system. It was an opportunity to continue flying, continue getting a paycheck. I had a place to go. I had a job that I loved. I got to continue working. He saved us.

Trump: We’re gonna really be a good competitor, and I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun.Harteveldt: So the primary competitor that we flew against was Pan Am, Pan Am Shuttle, and a very, very fine competitor to have, because Pan Am forced us to bring our A game to the shuttle market. Narrator: In true Trump fashion, he soon went after his competition.

Trump: I love competing against Pan Am. If you’ve got to compete, I mean, if you’ve got to compete, Pan Am is the one you want to compete against.Narrator: Trump didn’t just troll Pan Am at press conferences. He also poached their talent, hiring former Pan Am Shuttle president Bruce Nobles, to run Trump Shuttle.

Trump: Safety, everyone says, “Oh, don’t ever mention safety.” I want to mention safety. To me, it’s very important. The safety is number one priority.

Harteveldt: There is an unwritten rule in the airline business: you never attack another carrier’s maintenance and safety. Mr. Trump attacked Pan Am’s maintenance, and that’s just something you don’t do.Narrator: Trump suggested that Pan Am’s financial struggles might jeopardize the airline’s safety, and his remarks soon came back to bite him.

David Letterman: And this represents one of the fleet of your new shuttle service from here to where? Watch this, Don. Whoa, my God, whoa!Narrator: In August of 1989 … a Trump Shuttle flight made an emergency landing in Boston when the plane’s front landing gear malfunctioned. No one onboard was hurt, but Trump Shuttle’s trouble was just beginning. Reporter: Smoke rising from the barracks where the Royal Guard still hold out. Narrator: The invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the subsequent Gulf War sent oil prices skyrocketing, and the United States was on the brink of a recession.Harteveldt: That affected all airlines, not just the Trump Shuttle. People just were not flying. As far as the Trump Shuttle became concerned, the bankers said, “Hey, look, “this is not financially sustainable.” It became clear that the Trump Shuttle would not grow as an airline.Narrator: Trump fired 100 employees. Just 18 months after the Trump Shuttle launch, the airline had already lost $128 million. In 1992, Donald Trump decided it was time to bail. Trump Shuttle’s majority stakeholder, Citigroup, started negotiating a sale with US Air, who still saw value in the product. Donald Trump claimed he didn’t lose money on the shuttle. He told the Boston Globe, “I’m smart. I got out at a good time.”

Harteveldt: It seems like he kind of just washed his hands of it, said the airline business is very tough, and moved on to whatever was next.Narrator: As for Trump Shuttle employees, many of them kept their jobs and transitioned to becoming employees of the newly-named US Air Shuttle.

David Manley: It really wasn’t a failure. I think it was pretty successful. I mean, Trump saved our careers, I mean, absolutely. They really took care of their employees. My wife, who had breast cancer, the CEO of the company, he said, “Hey, any bills that aren’t covered, just leave it on my desk.” I left some bills on those desks. It was like, I don’t know, a $30,000 pharmacy bill. You know, that’s how I was treated, and so I’m sure that came down from Trump. I don’t have anything bad to say.Today, the US Air Shuttle is known as the American Airlines Shuttle. It serves New York, Boston, Washington, and Chicago.

Season 5 of Grace and Frankie hit Netflix over the holiday weekend (finally!) and, as is wont to happen after a binge session of the comedy, it left viewers with one question: “How do I get more of June Diane Raphael?” The actress (and writer/producer) stole the hearts of the show’s fans with her deadpan delivery and penchant for saying exactly what we all wish we were thinking — and now, there actually is a way to get more June Diane Raphael.

That’s because she wrote a book, but it’s not quite what one might think. Raphael, along with her co-author Kate Black, are debuting Represent: The Woman’s Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World, set to release on Sept. 3, 2019. After the past few election cycles, Raphael and Black realized that they could help empower women to run at every level of office (read: This isn’t just for the next Kamala Harris). The book uses a 23-point checklist and hits everything from why women should run for office in the first place to fundraising to social media to filing your candidacy in the first place. (And yes, there’s even advice about what to wear on the campaign trail.)

Raphael has carved out a second career as an activist when she’s not in front of the camera — in the turmoil following the 2016 election she launched The Big Hundred, an initiative to do 100 good deeds in the first 100 days of the administration, and this fall she launched The Jane Club, a co-working space that caters to working mothers.

Black is a former chief of staff at EMILY’s List, an organization that helps get female candidates elected, and is currently a policy advisor at the FCC.

“In the US if you ask people who the number one heavyweight is, I think many people will say Tyson Fury,” Arum said.

“He needs really desperately to come to fight in the United States,” he added on BBC Radio 5 live’s Boxing with Costello and Bunce.

“And I say that not because I’m an American, I say that because, economically, the US market is still the most important, because the pay-per-view in the United States has the potential of 200 million, 150 million homes.”

There is speculation that Joshua’s next fight, originally scheduled without an opponent for Wembley Stadium on 13 April, could be moved to the US – depending on the outcome of negotiations between Fury and Wilder.

Barry Hearn, head of Matchroom Sport, whose son Eddie promotes Joshua, said Fury and Wilder have both received “humungous” offers to fight Joshua.

But he conceded a rematch between the two was more likely and expects an announcement in the next seven days.

Analysis

BBC boxing correspondent Mike Costello

A couple of things struck me about that interview.

Firstly, how Fury’s performance, and particularly what he did in the 12th and final round, has resonated across American boxing. But also Arum referring to Joshua’s opponents as “no-hopers”.

When you think of Joseph Parker, who held a world title, Wladimir Klitschko, who was motivated like rarely in the previous four or five years, even [Alexander] Povetkin, it’s strange that there is this perception, but it’s a perception that has to be broken down.

SportsPulse: This will likely go down as the worst officiated championship weekend ever. But if you are a fan of chaos and pure insane entertainment it was incredible. Trysta Krick breaks down how the Patriots and Rams punched their ticket to the Super Bowl.USA TODAY

Super Bowl LIII could be the first major sporting event in more than two decades held during a government shutdown, although federal officials told USA TODAY Sports that those attending the game or the events surrounding it shouldn’t worry any more than the first 52 games that were played with a fully employed government.

This year’s Super Bowl, scheduled for Feb. 3 between the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots, is a SEAR 1 event, the federal government’s second-highest security classification. The State of the Union address, categorized at the highest level (NSSE), is scheduled for Jan. 29, although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested to President Trump last week that it be postponed because of security concerns surrounding the shutdown.

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host its first Super Bowl when the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots meet in Atlanta on Feb. 3.(Photo: Danny Karnik, AP)

While not necessarily a terrorism target, a SEAR 1 event is of enough national or international importance to require federal support and equipment, as well as cooperation and coordination between federal, state and local authorities.

“The Department (of Homeland Security) takes the security of special events like the Super Bowl extremely seriously, and we continue executing our protection responsibility and supporting our local public safety partners for this event,” DHS spokesperson Tyler Q. Houlton said in a statement last week. “The current lapse in government funding will have no effect on our commitment to assuring a safe and secure event.”

More than 1,500 public safety personnel are involved in Super Bowl security, Rowson said, though it’s not clear how many of those are federal agents and officials. (None of the FBI agents are currently being paid.) Or how many will be working the Super Bowl without pay if the shutdown has not been resolved.

The Secret Service, FBI, TSA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection are among the federal agencies charged with working with local law enforcement and private security to secure the Super Bowl and many of the surrounding events/

“The federal agencies involved – HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) , FBI, ICE and CPB – are essential and will be working as usual, but many aren’t going to be getting paid,” said John Torres, CEO of the security consulting company Guidepost Solutions and a former HSI agent. “They’ll still do their jobs whether they are paid or not.”

Security consultant Aloke S. Chakravarty told USA TODAY Sports that federal law enforcement officials who have’t gotten paid as the shutdown drags on “are professionals who don’t do their jobs for money, but their families are impacted like anyone else’s would be.”

“You could … see a drop off in efficiency,” said Chakravarty, a former federal prosecutor who worked the Boston Marathon bombing case and is currently a partner at Snell & Wilmer. “While agents at the FBI, Secret Service and other agencies will be working because (Super Bowl security) was already budgeted, the people who support them, like analysts, could be furloughed. Analysts may not be at their terminals because of the shutdown.”

Rowson and Atlanta Police Department spokesman Carlos Campos said the shutdown will not impact security. Federal, state and local officials have been planning for the Super Bowl for two years, and are fully prepared.

“An event like (the) Super Bowl is all about planning, preparation and partnerships,” Rowson said in an email.

“We want to assure the public that we have planned for this to ensure that nothing happens,” Rowson added. “But if something does happen, we are ready, and prepared to transition into crisis response and investigation.”

That means most of the federal employees working the Super Bowl will be doing it without pay if the shutdown is ongoing. DHS is one of the nine departments that is unfunded but workers who are considered “essential” are still expected to do their jobs.

The Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2, 1996 was the last major sporting event held during a shutdown. The federal government was closed for 21 days as President Bill Clinton and Congress sparred over the budget. Nebraska won the game to claim the national title.

While four World Series (1977, 1978, 1979 and 1986) overlapped with prior shutdowns, the 1978 World Series (Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Yankees) was the only one that came during a lengthy standoff (18 days).

]]>http://viraltrendyuodate.info/will-government-shutdown-impact-security-at-super-bowl-liii/feed/0Venezuela in crisis: How did the country get here?http://viraltrendyuodate.info/venezuela-in-crisis-how-did-the-country-get-here/
http://viraltrendyuodate.info/venezuela-in-crisis-how-did-the-country-get-here/#respondMon, 21 Jan 2019 21:35:35 +0000https://viraltrendyuodate.info/venezuela-in-crisis-how-did-the-country-get-here/

Venezuela‘s National Assembly, the opposition-controlled legislative body, declared President Nicolas Maduro a “usurper” last week, deepening the political and humanitarian crisis that has engulfed the country.

The declaration came about a week after Maduro was sworn in for a controversial second six-year term following an election largely boycotted by the opposition and considered fraudulent by many within the international community.

During the ceremony, President Maduro promised to “construct 21st-century socialism” and labelled his opponents as imperialists and fascists.

Shortly after, Juan Guaido, the head of the National Assembly, said he would be ready to take over as president and hold fair elections if Venezuelans and the armed forces backed him. Guaido has called for opposition protests later this month.

The developments come against the backdrop of a crippling economy. The annual inflation is now over one million percent, with the price of food and medicines too high for most to obtain. Millions have fled since 2015, according to the United Nations.

Sanctions have also complicated the situation, and it could get worse as the United States is considering harsher sanctions that could further reduce imports of Venezuela’s oil, and deepen the humanitarian crisis.

With protests and more uncertainty expected, Al Jazeera examines how Venezuela got here and what may happen next.

How did Venezuela get here?

Once considered the wealthiest country in Latin America, today, Venezuela is facing an unprecedented economic and political crisis marked by severe food and medicine shortages.

Critics of the government and members of the opposition argue that Venezuela’s economic woes are the fruit of years of economic mismanagement, and corruption, but government supporters blame falling oil prices, international sanctions, and the country’s business elite for Venezuela’s troubles.

When Maduro took over as president after Hugo Chavez’s death in 2013, the oil-reliant economy was already in trouble. When global oil prices dropped in 2014, businesses were no longer able to import goods at the same rate as before, skyrocketing prices and inflation.

According to analysts, the contraction of the national and per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in Venezuela between 2013 and 2017 was more severe than that of the United States, during the Great Depression, or Russia, and Cuba following the collapse of the Soviet Union, heavily impacting the living conditions of millions.

In 2014, thousands took to the streets to protest inflation and living conditions. The government cracked down on the protests, leaving at least 11 dead.

In 2015, opposition politicians won a majority in the legislature – the National Assembly – for the first time in nearly two decades.

However, in 2016, Venezuela’s government stripped the National Assembly of powers to oversee the economy, and in March 2017, the judicial branch briefly dissolved the National Assembly.

The court reversed its order due to the national and international outcry, but by then massive protests were already taking place. Protests left more than 100 dead, and 1,000 arrested.

Maduro also created the National Constituent Assembly in 2017. Stacked with Maduro supporters, the Constituent Assembly has the mandate to drafting or reforming the Constitution.

Since then, the crisis has continued. Millions of Venezuelans have fled soaring inflation, food and medicine shortages and unemployment.

In 2018, Maduro won a controversial election, boycotted by the majority of the opposition. At the beginning of this year, he was sworn in, with the opposition and many within the international community calling him an illegitimate leader.

After the inauguration, the National Assembly stepped up its pressure on Maduro, declaring him a “usurper”. The body’s president, Juan Guaido, said he is ready to assume power if its the will of the people, who he has called to take to the streets later this month.

The US also said it is considering further sanctions that would target the oil industry.

“[This time] It’s more serious than I’ve heard before,” a refining industry executive familiar with the White House discussions told Reuters news agency. “They are setting the table to pull the trigger if they have to.”

But despite the challenges, Maduro currently enjoys the support of the military, and the government controls through its supporters most of the country institutions, weakening any attempt by Guaido or the National Assembly from taking power from the president.

Thousands of protesters march in an anti-government demonstration on March 4, 2014, in Caracas, Venezuela [File: John Moore/Getty Images]

What do the government and its supporters say?

Maduro has repetitively denied that Venezuela is facing a humanitarian crisis and sustains that the country is being attacked by the opposition, the US and its allies.

The president has also tried to continue with Chavez’s policies, attempting to appeal to his supporters’ base.

Maduro insists that the 2018 election was legitimate and that the opposition boycotted it because it knew it would lose. Supporters also argue that the legitimacy of these elections doesn’t depend on international recognition.

“This is a show that is trying to destabilise the country,” Maduro said [last week].

“They are a group of kids that control the opposition and want to play to create chaos, it’s the same group that carried out the street protests and every day they will have a new show.”

Supporters also believe that the opposition is trying to execute an agenda that will lead to more violence.

“The opposition is trying to encourage conflict, so that it could justify external intervention,” Juan Romero, a writer, analyst and a government supporter, told Al Jazeera.

“The main challenge that the president has is to keep the order with no violence,” Romero added. “It also has the challenge of not falling into isolation with the US and the OAS initiatives.”

In September last year, Luis Almagro, leader of the Organization of American States (OAS), suggested the possibility of military intervention.

But despite these challenges, people like Romero remain loyal to this regime and wish for it to continue.

“I have no doubts of the legitimacy of this government. The president controls all the powers, except that from the National Assembly, it also holds most of the governorates and the municipal councils. This leaves the opposition with the unique resource of violence,” he added.

Economic sanctions have also played a role in this conflict. Five US refiners significantly reduced or completely replaced purchases of Venezuela crude in 2018.

Venezuela exported 500,013 barrels per day to the US last year, down from 591,422 bpd in 2017.

Sanctions have not only targetted the oil industry, but also the gold sector.

Supporters believe that the government is fighting two battles at the same time.

“Venezuela is facing two wars, one at a local level, and one abroad” Alberto Mathison, a government supporter told Al Jazeera.

“The government has been constantly attacked by the transnationals and the people who manage the industry and the distribution channels, on top of that the opposition is receiving a heavy support from the global right,” Mathison said.

“A global right that doesn’t acknowledge our own law, and that aims to invade our soil,” he added. “We are resisting and we don’t know when will this stop, we hope this can be resolved in a democratic way.”

Venezuela’s politician and member of the armed forces Diosdado Cabello, left, late President Hugo Chavez, centre, and current President Nicolas Maduro [File: Ariana Cubillos, Natacha Pisarenko/AP]

What does the opposition say?

The opposition and its supporters believe they are living under a “dictatorship”, and consider Maduro’s government illegitimate. The group also declared itself in a state of “disobedience” in 2017.

Venezuela’s opposition blames the previous government of Hugo Chavez and the current one of Maduro for the economic woes the country is facing, the corruption, the violence in the streets and the constant mismanagement.

During the latest series of events, the Venezuelan opposition and a large part of the international community argued that Maduro’s reelection last May was fraudulent and illegal due to irregularities in the process.

By the time the election took place, most of the candidates who could have contended against the president were barred from running.

The US, European Union, the Lima Group and several civil organisations, said Maduro’s win did not meet international standards.

“The elections were not authentically free, parties and people couldn’t compete, more than seven important parties were declared illegal, there were political prisoners who couldn’t contend and the electoral system didn’t demonstrate its autonomy or its independence,” Jose Vicente Haro, an expert in constitutional law in Venezuela, told Al Jazeera.

On January 10, opposition leaders branded Maduro’s second term as illegitimate and called for the National Assembly to declare the presidency vacant.

“If the presidency falls in an illegitimate situation, as it’s the situation now, the Constitution clearly states that the President of the National Assembly is allowed to take power,” Haro said.

“But he has 30 days to announce a final election date. He is not authorised to stay in power for six years, as it would be the case with an elected president,” he added.

Ronal Rodriguez, a professor and researcher at the University of Rosario’s Venezuelan Observatory in Colombia, called the situation a “huge institutional mess”.

“Venezuela has a government that has been sworn in but that lacks international support, except for countries like Russia, China and Turkey, and we have a National Assembly that is trying to promote a person that doesn’t have the political experience to take power,” he said.

Juan Guaido, President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, delivers a speech during a public session with opposition members [File: Fernando Llano/AP]

What do Venezuelans say?

One of the biggest challenges facing Venezuelans is hyperinflation. According to a study released by the National Assembly, by the end of 2018, prices were doubling every 19 days on average.

Many remain hopeless.

“[Regardless of the politics] we don’t have a good life [in Venezuela], we are forced to leave. There are people dying because we don’t have the right medicines in the country, or food, or we don’t have security in the streets,” Rosina Estrada, a Venezuelan citizen, told Al Jazeera.

Venezuela is also facing what has become the largest exodus in Latin America history. Over three million people have fled the country since 2014, and it’s expected to reach 5.3 million by the end of 2019, according to the UN figures.

“The situation we are living in is unprecedented. And on top of all the domestic challenges, we are seeing a fragile government that still has some power and force, but that is slowly losing control,” Ramon Pinango, a Venezuelan sociologist, told Al Jazeera.

The dire situation have led many Venezuelans to question the current government, analysts say.

“Maduro has a big challenge internally with the current hyperinflation [and the situation], it’s obvious that his rule doesn’t have the support that Chavez had,” Javier Buenrostro, a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said.

“But we can’t forget that the opposition is not characterised for playing fair, and they haven’t found support among the citizens either,” he added.

The opposition, as a group, has also showed divisions and has failed to demonstrate clear leadership in its movement.

One clear of example took place in 2017 when four opposition politicians broke with the official line and acknowledged the legitimacy of the Constituent Assembly, after a loss for the group in regional elections.

“The Chavismo not only managed to win critical elections [back then], they also managed to put the opposition in crisis by leading them to an electoral confrontation,” Marco Terugi, an author and political analyst explained.

One of the biggest challenges facing Venezuelans is hyperinflation [File: Rodrigo Abd/AP]

What is expected next?

The opposition has called for a series of demonstrations, similar to the ones that took place in 2014 and 2017, on January 23. The date marks the anniversary of the end of the dictatorship of Marco Perez Jimenez.

“The opposition is trying to appeal to the symbolism of that day. However, a question that remains to be asked is will [the opposition] take the risk of mobilising the streets, and facing a violent confrontation? Will they be responsible for those victims?” Ronal Rodriguez said.

The international pressure is also expected to intensify, with some countries withdrawing their diplomats and others considering recognising Guaido as the president.

According to Haro, if the National Assembly lets Guaido be sworn in as president, he must then call for elections.

“That’s the mission of the National Assembly, to take the Venezuelans to free and clean elections, where people can freely decide,” Haro added.

But the impasse is not just political. The foreign pressure on the economy and the internal confusion are also hitting the embattled country.

“The international community is increasing its pressure, but this does not mean that the regime will fall. If something has been demonstrated by the Chavismo, it is that it knows how to reinvent itself,” Rodriguez said.

“The final solution must come from within the country, not from outside,” he added.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence made an unannounced visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC on Monday in recognition of the holiday honoring the civil rights leader.

Trump and Pence placed a wreath at the memorial during their brief visit, which occurred just after 11 a.m.

“It’s a great day. A beautiful day. Thank you for being here. Appreciate it,” Trump told reporters at the memorial, according to CNN.

“I read an article about a year ago describing a front porch security camera capturing middle-of-the-night video of a distraught woman with restraints on her wrists,” he says. “The homeowners didn’t view the footage until the next day and the woman, of course, was long gone. The story fascinated and chilled me. Months passed and I couldn’t stop thinking about. I used that disturbing incident as a jumping-off point for The Girl on the Porch.”

The novel focuses on Sarah and Kenny Tucker, who learn from their neighbors that someone was apparently playing ding-dong-ditch in the middle of the night. When they check their security cameras, they don’t discover pranksters. They see a panicked young woman with a broken shackle on her wrist pleading for help.

But she doesn’t stay long. Before anyone can answer, she runs off again — almost as if she’s being chased.

The more the Tuckers try to publicize the incident to find someone who knows her, the more bizarre activity begins to surround them. Soon, they are being watched by a strange man. And the danger of their seemingly quiet neighborhood begins to reveal itself.

“I’ve always been interested in the masks that people wear, and the darkness that is often lurking behind those masks,” Chizmar says. “Every day folks that work nine-to-five jobs, go grocery shopping, and take their children to the corner playground. For me, these are the most frightening monsters I can dream up.”

The true story also had a disturbing outcome. The woman was eventually identified and said she fled the home of her boyfriend after he brutally attacked her. The man later committed suicide when authorities came to arrest him.

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A 12-year-old girl is dead after a snow fort she built collapsed on her in a Chicago suburb. Veuer’s Nick Cardona has that story.Buzz60

A 12-year-old girl died while tunneling through a snowbank outside of her Illinois church on Sunday.

Authorities were called to Rothem Church in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights on Sunday afternoon after the girl and her 9-year-old friend were found trapped in the snow.

The girls had dug a tunnel through a large snow bank created by plows, Chicago’s WGN reports. Arlington Heights police said the makeshift fort collapsed on the girls while their families were attending a church service. The girls’ families found them under the snow about an hour later. It was unknown how long the girls were trapped.

A young girl died and another was hospitalized after the snow fort they created collapsed outside of an Illinois church.(Photo: kellymarken, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The 12-year-old girl was pronounced dead less than two hours later, Chicago’s Daily Herald reports. Her father said he is the pastor of the church where she was playing, ABC 7 Chicago reports. She was the youngest of three children and is remembered as a smart sixth-grader with dreams of being a veterinarian.

The 9-year-old was treated for hypothermia at a local hospital and expected to survive, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Police said in a statement that this was a “tragic accident.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/21/girl-12-dies-snow-fort-collapse-outside-illinois-church/2636715002/

A prominent Saudi Imam and preacher at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina has died in prison, reportedly as a result of being held in poor conditions, activists have said.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Amari, former dean of the Quran College in the Islamic University of Madinah, died on Sunday, more than five months after he was arrested, said the social media advocacy group, Prisoners of Conscience, which monitors and documents arrests of Saudi preachers and religious scholars.

The group accused Saudi prison authorities of “intentionally neglecting” the 69-year-old and “causing his death”.

Yahya Assiri, director of the London-based ALQST rights group, said al-Amari was arrested from his home in August amid a crackdown that also included the arrest of one of his close associates, Muslim scholar Safar al-Hawali.

Al-Hawali, 68, was detained shortly after he published a 3,000-page book which included attacks on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and the ruling Saudi royal family over their ties to Israel.

While a number of social media accounts blamed al-Amari’s death on medical negligence, Assiri told Middle East Eye (MEE) that the Imam had been held in solitary confinement and “was suddenly transferred from Dhahban prison to the King Abdullah Medical Complex in Jeddah on January 2 after a brain haemorrhage”.

“I believe it is a case of murder in custody rather than medical negligence,” Assiri told MEE.

The kingdom has faced increased scrutiny since the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

After offering several contradicting accounts, Saudi Arabia finally admitted that he was killed in a botched rendition operation and his body subsequently dismembered.

Public prosecutors in Saudi Arabia are currently seeking death penalty for Muslim scholar Salman al-Awdah, who had previously called for elections and separation of powers – demands considered dangerous provocations in the kingdom.

Awdah, who UN experts have described as a “reformist,” was imprisoned more than a year ago, shortly after MBS launched a crackdown on dissent and imposed a land, sea and air blockade on the kingdom’s Gulf neighbour, Qatar.

Saudi Arabia, which bans public protests and political parties, has witnessed a massive crackdown on dissent, with dozens of religious leaders, intellectuals and women’s rights activists arrested over the past two years.

Among those arrested are Islamic preachers Awad al-Qarni, Farhan al-Malki and Mostafa Hassan.